8 Chapter 7

"So he was dead even before the killings happened." Siegfried repeated. "That actually makes sense. With how normal this man lived, he should've been invited for questioning when the first murder happened. Now, the answer was clear as to why he seemed to disappear for every murder associated to him." He remarked. "Where was his body found, by the way?" He asked.

"You wouldn't believe it." General Dubois said. "He was found in his apartment. In his bedroom to be exact." He answered, garnering yet another surprised looks from the other people present in the room. "That's impossible. On the official police reports, it was stated that he wasn't found in his room. So, how did this happened?" Lucille asked. "That's yet another mystery to be solved." The general said. "Also, his cause of death was quite grisly. Post-mortem examinations suggest that he was skilled by shock from severe pain and bloodloss.............from being flayed....... alive. And with that said, his skin is missing." The general stated, causing the room to fall silent again. Lucille looked nauseated from hearing it but she tried to regain her composure. The same can't be said to her executive assistant who was already on the verge of vomitting.

"I'm sorry. I don't think I can take this anymore. I'll have to use the bathroom" Alyssa said before running out of the meeting room. "So......do you think.......that this demon........." Lucille tried to say. With the way this man, Henry Johnson, died, a picture in her mind was already forming as to how his identity was assumed. However, it was such a grotesque thought that made her sick just by thinking about it. Siegfried, who was sitting beside her, noticed this. He wanted to ask for a break. But with the time that they had, taking a break would only waste time. "This calls for an expert." He said. He then pressed the intercom. "Dr. Bryce Arimanius. Please come to the meeting room." He said.

After a while, a middle aged man in a lab coat entered the office. Despite him being in the thirties, he seemed to be much older by how he look. He was of average height. He has a dishevelled hair with some grey lines. His rather youthful face seemed haggard and exhausted. Tired eyes hide behind a pair of round spectacles. "Mr. Doron. You called for me?" He asked. "Yes. Dr. Arimanius." Siegfried answered. "Doctor. Have you been working overtime again. I appreciate your hardwork but you also need to rest. Your body can't keep up this way." He said, concerned. "Don't worry about me, sir. I am at my healthiest when I work." He said back.

"You haven't changed a bit, Bryce." Lucille remarked. "Still, the overworker. You're lucky it was Siegfried who hired you or else you'll be taken advantage easily like you did back in college." She added. Hearing the familiar voice, Dr. Arimanius turned around and saw Lucille. "Lucille!!! It's been a while!!" He greeted excitedly. He then rushed to the CEO and gave her a hug which Lucille happily gave back. "So, I see that you finally got work on your obsession." Lucille said. "You can make fun of me all you want. You're involved in it now too." He said back.

"I didn't know that you two knew each other." Siegfried commented. "We were both in the same major. He was constantly being taken advantage by delinquents because of his hardworking attitude so I made sure that we always got grouped together in projects." Lucille said. "Excuse me. May we go back on the subject?" The Defense Secretary interjected. "Oh. I apologise, Mr. Secretary." Dr. Arimanius said then turned to Siegfried. "Sir. What is it that you called me for?" He asked. Siegfried then turned to the general and asked for the file on Henry Johnson.

The general then gave his phone to the scientist which he read attentively. "I see. So the main suspect was dead even before killings. He was flayed and now his skin is missing. On top of everything, his body just now found his apartment bedroom despite the evidence stating that he was never moved post-mortem." He summarized. "Interesting." He remarked then gave the phone back to the general. "What's the profile on this Henry Johnson? What's he like?" He asked. Siegfried answered this question by opening up the projector, showing Henry's face as well as his information. "Well. He's your typical average joe. He lived alone in an apartment, worked eight hours a day and a rank-and-file employee. He also has an account on dating sites and....." Siegfried paused. "I must've missed this. He's an active member of an online website called knowyourdemons.com." He finished. "May I see that website, sir." Dr. Arimanius requested.

Siegfried opened up a browser which was then projected. He typed in the website and he was redirected to a website with a dark background and decorated with several pentagrams. Dr. Arimanius examined the website before giving his thoughts. "I'm familiar with this one. It's a copycat of a website that originated in one of the countries in the Central Continent. I once went there to gather data on my research. In one of the rural areas, there's an ongoing rumor that there were cabals and covens of magic users populating the area. These rumors became the basis of these websites where they share supposed information about these secret societies. They're conversations range from sharing alleged footages to spells. Most of the time, those spells are not authentic. However, it seemed there are times that legitimate spells get transferred." He explained. "Now, I want to know if this Henry Johnson has any weird marking on his body." He said. "There was according to post-mortem. A weird mark on his hand. It seemed like it was carved there." General Dubois said. "I see. It seems that Henry Johnson here snatched himself a genuine summoning spell." He stated.

"Summoning spell? What in the world is that?" The Defense Secretary asked. "To put it simply, sir, this involves calling a demon from Oblivion and anchoring it here. The caster and the demon enter a binding contract where the demon carries out a task set by the caster." Dr. Arimanius explained. "Summon a demon here? Didn't the story goes that the gates through Oblivion were sealed by the legendary Scion, Lumina?" Lucille interjected. "Yes. I'm aware of the lore. However, these summoning spells, when done right, can act as a mini portal that can be used as a bridge. This can only summon low-level demons but it can still pose a threat if not bound properly." The scientist answered.

"Enough discussing the ancient past. What I want to know is that why this demon skinned the poor chap and then went around killing women while wearing his face." Secretary Ortiz demanded. "I was getting to that, sir." Dr. Arimanis said. "Going with the nature of death of the caster and how this demon is behaving, I'd say that Henry Johnson here might be looking a shortcut to having a romantic relationship. This is the best theory I could come up with given that the demon is using the victim's knowledge to access his dating account in order to get women. This demon might be a potent magic user as well since it was able to hide his body for five months." He explained. "As to why the demon killed its caster and carried his command in a twisted and gruesome manner then that only meant one thing. The caster failed to bind the demon." He added. "And how do you suggest we stop it?" The Defense Secretary asked. "By catching it in its own game. Right now, the demon is still behaving on instinct, despite the intelligence it is displaying. It will consume and consume to in order to increase its power." Dr. Arimanius answered.

Secretary Ortiz nodded and appeared to have thought of strategy. "I see. Then we make a cyber net for it on the dating platform it is using. Set up numerous account that will match the demon's interest. When it finally chose an account, we send someone to act as a decoy then send Squad S to neutralize the target." He finished laying out. It was at this moment that Siegfried raised a hand to get everyone's attention. His phone was on his hand again and it seemed that he has just gotten from a phone call.

"Regarding your plan, sir. That was already set in motion earlier. I already thought of that. A portion of my IT Department has already made numerous dummy accounts. They just called me and said that Henry's account has chosen one of the dummy accounts. I have Squad S called now and they're on their way here." He said.

Hearing this, the Defense Secretary narrowed his eyes at Siegfried. "You executed that plan without my approval? This means that you were aiming to deploy the Scions all along. This is insubordination, boy. If I wasn't here, you would've released walking nukes into the public!! Do you want me to completely shut down this installation?!" He yelled, clearly angered by his actions. "Actually, sir. I have already discussed this with General Dubois here. Today was supposed to be VANGUARD'S launch so we also went with the other preparations for their first mission. I apologise for overstepping but, with all due respect, sir, five women have already lost their lives. I wasn't just gonna stand and do nothing. Still, though, I respected your decision earlier and chosen Squad S to initiate this mission." He explained. The Defense Secretary looked at him with narrowed eyes then took a deep breath. "Fine. But next time, don't you dare make plans without me knowing." He said then looked at General Dubois. "And you. You're the liaison for this for a reason. Do your job properly!" He barked. "Yes, sir." General Ortiz snappily said.

The door then opened and in came five individuals wearing armor plated uniforms and helmets covering their faces. "Squad S reporting, sir. What are your orders?" The leader, codenamed Flare, inquired. Siegfried motioned for them to sit and then began discussing the plan. The hour was almost near. Soon, humans and demons would soon clash again after four thousand years.